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The Candy House,
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Nelson Wattie
Jennifer Egan calls these books "siblings" and thinks that it is just as good to read Candy House before the Goon Squad as to do the reverse. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukBZ...
Susan Pearlstein
it helps. i read the first one years ago and forgot half of it.
but i just borrowed a copy from my local library and it's significantly enhancing the Candy House narrative. Added bonus: the first book is one of the best books i ever read. if you haven't read it, prepared to be very, very pleased!
but i just borrowed a copy from my local library and it's significantly enhancing the Candy House narrative. Added bonus: the first book is one of the best books i ever read. if you haven't read it, prepared to be very, very pleased!
Marcia Crabtree
I didn't read the first book before reading this one, but I wish I had. I think it would have made this one a bit easier to follow. I now am anxious to read the first and may consider rereading this one. We'll see.
Darkloom
I would encourage you to read Goon Squad before Candy House (and close together to keep all the references fresh). Of course, she also drops in things from other books, so you might as well start from the beginning of her published works.
R.J.K. Lee
Definitely read the first one. I read the first and it certainly changed the way I experienced some of these chapters.
Bonnie G.
No. I read (and loved) both. While there are shared characters, and fun easter eggs for those who read the first book, this absolutely works as a standalone. Nothing we know about these characters from reading Goon Squad changes the way we see the events of this book.
MN Egress
You'll get a lot more out of it if you do!
Scott Steinhardt
You technically don't, but a lot/the bulk of the characters were in the previous book, as were some previous events/storylines. It certainly helps to better understand some motives and history, as well as put into context a lot of things in the book. That said, you can probably get away without doing so.
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